“The Equal Rights Amendment in the 21st Century: Where have we come from, and where will we go?”

Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI
November 15-16, 2013

This conference will bring together scholars from areas of history, law, gender studies, literature, political science, and other disciplines that consider the cultural, political, and legal ramifications of the failure of the Equal Rights Amendment which demanded that “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”

We invite scholars to explore the American cultural, legal, political, and intellectual heritage that prevented the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment since 1923. As well, we encourage the consideration of women’s rights as emblematic of ideas about equality throughout American history, and into the future as we imagine what may come next. While the Equal Rights Amendment is a topic touched upon in college courses, it has been forgotten and/or ignored by generations of Americans who believe that the Fourteenth Amendment sufficiently addresses the rights of women, and that court precedent and federal policies such as Title VII and Title IX protect their rights. As such, we also encourage the critical examination of the ways that the ERA is taught, and how the issues that it recalls—equality of rights under the law—are invoked through education, popular culture, media, and the law.

This conference invites proposals for conference papers that examine issues of equality in the United States of America. While the Equal Rights Amendment will serve as a conduit through which to open dialogues across academic, legal, and public spheres, papers do not need to deal directly with the amendment itself.

Some ideas for topics may include (but are by no means limited to):
• What does the failure of the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment indicate about the (de)valuation of females in the United States?
• In what ways do people continue to engage with the Equal Rights Amendment?
• How is the Equal Rights Amendment taught in classrooms?
• What are the historical relationships between the Equal Rights Amendment and cultural and/or political history since 1923?
• What is the relationship between the Equal Rights Amendment and feminism?
• Does feminism harm the Equal Rights Amendment?
• In what ways has the Equal Rights Amendment historically been used as a counterpoint to family values?
• How do equal rights for women transcend time and space?
• Does the United States need an Equal Rights Amendment?
• Could the Equal Rights Amendment have an impact on gender identity discrimination in the United States?
• Should the Equal Rights Amendment be revised to more clearly include transgender identity?
• What repercussions does the legacy of failure for the Equal Rights Amendment have on the LGBTQ community?
• Does the Equal Rights Amendment hurt males?

To submit your conference paper proposal, please e-mail a 250-500 word abstract and a CV or brief bio to eraconference2013@gmail.com. Paper proposals are due by August 1, 2013. More details about the conference can be found at www.rwu.edu/go/era.

For questions about the conference, please contact eraconference2013@gmail.com

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